Recent years have been marked by a slow, but still true exit of the fleet from the deepest pit in which the Navy ended up after the collapse of the USSR. In particular, for the first time in many years, really new ships actually built in the Russian Federation began to float. Such, for example, is the corvette "Dagestan". This ship has already managed to gain considerable fame by successfully firing cruise missiles at terrorist bases in Syria. How was “Dagestan” itself and other ships of project 11661 created?
Development start
Back in the early 1980s, it turned out that the country urgently needed a fairly large number of ships designed to protect the coastal zone. New vessels would become a logical replacement for project 1124. The need for a new model arose because the project 11540 patrol ships began to "advance" to solve larger problems. In particular, it was planned to send them to replace the already outdated project 1135.
Experienced designer Yu. A. Nikolsky, and then V.N. Kashkina, who had already proven themselves perfectly while working at the Zelenodolsk shipyard, were appointed responsible for the development . Thanks to their work, the Dagestan rocket ship appeared.
Customer requirements
Customers from the Navy immediately demanded that the sonar station be incorporated into the structure. Because of this, the displacement had to be increased immediately to 2000 tons, which brought the designed ships closer to the “competitive” project 12441. However, these ships had more powerful missile weapons and a platform for anti-submarine helicopters, so there was no talk of using them as watchdogs. At the same time, the true patrol ship "Dagestan", although it does not have such powerful weapons, is more maneuverable and faster.
How was the construction
The construction of new equipment was planned at the beginning of the 90s. What happened at that time, we already know. So, at the end of the 90th year a flagship was laid down, called the "Petrel", but after the well-known events the financing of its construction was sharply curtailed. Already in 1995, the unfortunate "Petrel" was mothballed, and after a couple of months - finally dismantled for scrap.
According to the same project, in 1993 a planned ship was laid out, intended for the needs of the Indian Navy, but in the same 1995 the money intended for its construction “suddenly” disappeared. While everyone was unanimously figuring out what had happened and where the funds had gone, the Indians refused to buy. Over time, they nevertheless managed to find the money, completed the ship, and it became Tatarstan.
In 2003, he became the official flagship of the Caspian Flotilla. When did the “Dagestan” considered by us appear? The ship was originally laid down in the same unfortunate 1991, but, unlike all its brothers, it was nevertheless completed and handed over to the fleet under its original name.
Not surprisingly, the construction period was grandiose. Initially, Dagestan wanted to transfer to the fleet in 2012, but because of the damage that the ship received during the mooring tests, even this period had to be stretched. Only in the middle of the year he managed to go to sea in order to make firing with his main caliber, Caliber-NK missiles, as part of the State Acceptance. This time everything went well, and therefore at the end of November 2012 the ship officially became part of the Russian fleet.
Distinctive features of "Dagestan"
The guard ship "Dagestan" with full right to that can be called unique. At least start with the tests that took place not only in the Caspian, but also in the Black Sea. They were carried out in very difficult conditions. All stages of state inspections were excellent, even firing from the latest missile weapons was carried out to the highest rating.
Compared with its "twin", that is, with "Tatarstan", the ship has a number of very important and noticeable differences. Firstly, the missile launchers on this ship are located vertically, which allows firing in almost any direction, regardless of the course that the Dagestan ship follows. Armament allows you to confidently destroy diverse targets at a distance of up to 300 kilometers, the probability of this is 0.85-1. This parameter was successfully tested in practice, when during the tests the enemy’s conditional headquarters was struck, located at a distance of 180 kilometers from the ship.
Versatility
Rapid-fire guns and an effective anti-aircraft fire system significantly increase the combat survivability of the vessel, allowing the creation of a layered air defense. In fact, all these circumstances make it possible to call the Dagestan missile ship a universal vessel. In principle, the developers themselves say that it can be safely classified as a frigate.
The only contradiction is the lack of really powerful anti-submarine weapons, but there are simply no submarines in the Caspian. So the ship "Dagestan" (Caspian flotilla, 693) is fully consistent with the place of use, being able to fulfill all the tasks assigned to it.
One of the main highlights of the vessel is the material of its superstructures (a special alloy of magnesium and aluminum). This alloy allows you to effectively disperse the radar signal, making the Project 11661 Dagestan missile ship less visible to potential enemy detection systems. In addition, there are active jamming systems. This entire complex effectively hides the true contours of the ship, protects it from defeat by "smart" ammunition, including cruise missiles.
Finally, the Dagestan was designed taking into account the maximum autonomy for ships of this class of autonomy: it can be sailing for at least two weeks, having traveled about five thousand nautical miles. To ensure a level of comfort acceptable to the crew (and with such a small displacement this is important), active pitching dampers were introduced into the design. This allows people to withstand even moderate excitement well. An active air conditioning system makes it possible to operate even in tropical and subtropical climates.
Main technical characteristics of the vessel
- Total displacement - 2200 tons.
- The total length of the hull is 102.4 meters.
- The largest deck width is 14.4 meters.
- Depth, midship - 7.25 meters.
- Normal draft is 5.6 meters.
- The maximum cruising speed is 29 knots.
- Maximum cruising range (in diesel economy mode) - 5000 nautical miles.
- Autonomy in food and drinking water reserves is 20 days.
- The recommended number of crew members is 84 people.
Hull construction and deck superstructures
The architecture of the ship belongs to the classic version, with a smooth deck and ten waterproof compartments. All add-ons are made of special alloys of magnesium and aluminum. Due to this fact, the minimum radar visibility of the vessel is ensured. The hull is made of low alloy steel, resistant to aggressive environments and sea water. Due to this, we can assume a long service life of these frigates.
Armament
There is excellent missile, artillery, and also anti-aircraft weapons, the latter also being built on a missile basis. The main "trump card" is the anti-ship complex "Uranus" ("Uran-E"), equipped with
missiles of the X-35 (E)
model . The range of destruction of the target is from 130 to 260 kilometers, depending on the modification and the type of shells used. What is unique specifically to "Dagestan"? The ship is the only one of the whole series that was the first to use the Caliber-NK complex, which was also used to fly on it, including in combat conditions.
This weapon is remarkable in that it allows striking (with standard missiles) at sea and coastal targets located at a distance of up to 300 km. If cruise missiles are used, then the effective range of the enemy’s destruction is significantly (several times) increased. Many experts were able to believe this only after firing at terrorist bases.
Artillery component
On the nose there is a 76.2 mm automatic artillery system model AK-176M. The total ammunition is 152 rounds. In addition, for the destruction of low-flying targets, two installations (caliber 30 mm) AK-630M are provided for at once. Their total ammunition is 3000 shots at once. These installations make it possible to combat marine, air, and also some coastal targets with high efficiency. What other artillery is installed on the Dagestan rocket corvette? The ship is armed with a 14.5 mm automatic machine guns.
Air defense
To create reliable layered air defense on ships of project 11661, the Osa-MA-2 anti-aircraft complex is used. Up to 20 missiles can be located in the launchers of this system. But on the “Dagestan” for the same purposes a more effective SPLAC “Broadsword” is used, which (in the export version) is mounted on those ships of this project that were originally built for sale to foreign customers.
Submarine Attack Protection
In order not to leave the Dagestan ship of project 11661 defenseless in the face of a possible attack by enemy submarines, two torpedo tubes with a caliber of 533 mm are structurally provided. Note that the export versions of the ships of the same project are mounted on a rocket launcher model RBU-6000. Possible landing and basing anti-submarine helicopter Ka-27. For refueling, in particular, separate fuel tanks are provided on board. Provided that it is transported, the helicopter can be in a special hangar (with folded blades).
However, all this is not too necessary if we discuss the ship "Dagestan". The Caspian flotilla (693 ships assigned to it), as well as naval formations of other countries in this region, simply do not have a single submarine here. But here we must remember that at any moment the ship can be sent to the Black Sea, and there is a hypothetical probability of an attack from under the water.
Electronic weapons
Radar equipment is “fickle,” since it is being replaced with the advent of new and more efficient models. A similar situation occurs when it needs to be paired with new weapons. In particular, on some ships of the same project, including those built for the needs of foreign fleets, the complexes changed two to three times.
The Mineral-M complex is responsible for the radiolocation at Dagestan, while Positive-M1 is the general-purpose radar. The hydroacoustic complex responsible for the timely detection of enemy submarines is the MGK-335 model. The ship "Dagestan" (the photo of which is in the article) can cause active interference; for this, the electronic warfare TK-25 and the Sigma BIUS are used. Their field trials showed that these systems are capable of effectively counteracting the attempts of a potential adversary to strike with “smart” anti-ship missiles.
Power point
The main engine is a diesel, twin-shaft, model CODOG. Diesel type - 61D, medium speed. The total motor power is 8000 liters. from. This power plant is responsible for standard travel modes. There are also two gas turbines with a total capacity of 29,000 liters. from. They can accelerate the ship to 28 knots, and are intended for use in combat mode, when the degree of maneuverability of the ship becomes vital. To provide all ship equipment with electricity, there are three diesel generators at once, each with a capacity of 600 kW.
In conclusion
Currently, the ship of the Caspian flotilla "Dagestan" is so far the last vessel of its project, armed with the Navy of the Russian Federation. Around 2011-2012 in general, information appeared about a complete stop and freezing of work in this direction, but it was not confirmed. It is reported that two more ships of the series should be put into operation, but the delivery time has significantly increased. The reason is simple - Ukraine, in the light of known events, refused to comply with the terms of the contract for the supply of gas turbine units.
Domestic shipbuilders promise that this unfortunate circumstance will not prevent them from fulfilling the plan for the rearmament of the Russian fleet. One can only hope that the Dagestan missile ship, the armament of which would honor the larger military vessel, would not be the "last of the Mohicans."